Ruby Theatre Games
by gone sparky
Summary: It's no more fun and games when the Doctor and Rose find themselves in a strange movie theatre, with four very strange aliens. takes place sometime during season two of new doctor who.
1. Chapter 1

**Ruby Theatre Games**

Ch 1

"Marco?" Rose called.

Her hands felt the empty air around her. But all was silent except for the whirring of the Tardis console.

And then she heard it a distant rapping on the metal grill beneath her.

"Polo!" The Doctor answered cheerfully. And Rose strained to see him through her blind fold.

She stepped forward, listening carefully for the sound of his footsteps prancing about.

"Marco?" She tried again, catching a movement to the right.

"Polo!" He was dead ahead.

Rose lunged forward, almost losing her balance as she struck thin air.

The Doctor laughed nearby.

"Mar-co?" Rose whispered.

The Doctor sidestepped as her hands came too close again.

She was very good at this game, he considered letting her win just this once. And then the girl's flicked around towards him and the doctor ducked.

That was close enough.

"Polo," he squeaked.

Rose grinned; she knew she was onto him now.

"Give up yet Doctor?"

"Course not," he replied hiding behind the console. "But you are a formidable foe."

Rose turned again, shifting carefully towards his voice.

"Marco?"

"Polo!" the Doctor shot in her ear.

Rose jumped and swung round. The Doctor laughed and leapt back.

"Close, but not close enough."

"Are you ever going to let me remove this thing?" Rose sighed.

"Why, you give up?"

"No. Marco?"

The Doctor was behind her now and she knew it.

"Polo." He replied.

Suddenly Rose stepped back, tripping her best friend and throwing him off balance.

She whirled around, arms out embracing him in a bear hug.

"Gotcha!"

The blindfold slipped off her face and the Doctor's boyish grin filled her vision.

"I surrender."

The whirring of the console had changed to a persistent beep.

A frown passed over the Doctor's face and he slipped on a pair of low rimmed glasses.

Rose followed him to the console. "Doctor?"

"Hmm, that's interesting." He was staring at small screen dancing with dots and digits.

Suddenly an image fuzzed into life. Rose leant over the Doctor's shoulder for a close view.

A dark skinned figure, dressed in a crimson cloak stared back at them.

Its eyes were black as night.

"Stay away." It warned. "No human is safe, not even you. Rose Tyler."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ruby Theatre Games**

Ch 2

"That's so not funny." Rose mused.

The Doctor's eyes were still locked on the now dead screen.

"Tell me that was a joke, Doctor?"

The Tardis suddenly jerked.

"Doctor?"

"No, no no!" He still hadn't looked up.

Another violent shudder.

Rose clung onto the console as the whirring grew louder, the sound she recognized whenever they made a landing.

"Doctor!"

Finally he turned her way, slowly removing his glasses.

"Hang on."

The blue glow from the console lit up the two strangely pale faces beneath it.

Both the Doctor and Rose could only cling on as the Tardis spiraled out of control.

"What's happening?" Rose shouted as something caught alight.

"Whoever was warning us to keep away…?" The Doctor began. "They were either too late or…" He hesitated.

"Or what?"

"Or it wasn't a warning."

They were slowing, everything screeching to a halt.

"Are we going to crash?" Rose asked, she gave the Doctor a worried glance.

"Just hang on!" He hissed.

The Doctor gazed into the screen again; his fingers began to work delicately over buttons and twisting knobs.

Another sharp jerk and Rose almost lost her balance.

The Doctor's eyes were suddenly wide as he saw something his human companion couldn't. "Rose," he gasped, clinging to a nearby rail. "Grab my hand."

He reached towards her.

Rose leant for him, but slipped.

The floor tilted upwards.

"Rose!" he screamed, sudden urgency tore through his features. The Doctor extended his arm further.

She could barely see, everything was moving too fast.

Rose felt dizzy, wild blonde strands of hair whipped around her face.

And she was reaching for him. Her body flailing as the ship twisted again.

Grasping her hand in his own, The Doctor gave Rose a weak smile.

_Crash!_

The room shook again, floor vanishing completely as the Tardis' occupants struck the ceiling.

The air was knocked out of Rose's lungs. Her body was bashed around along with the doctor's.

Twisting turning over and over. _When would it end?_

And then suddenly the ground flew up towards them. The Doctor was beneath her, his hand slipping free of hers.

He struck the metal grill of the floor; his body sprawled and lay still.

"Doc…" Rose felt her own body plummeting downwards.

_Smack!_

The blue glow faded into black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ruby Theatre Games**

Ch 3

The first thing Rose heard was ringing.

She struggled to move but, her head spun as soon as she tilted it.

Groggily she managed to pry her eyes open a fraction and stare out through long lashes.

Through her hazy vision Rose realized three things.

The first was that the Doctor's limp frame was beside her, obviously still out of it.

They were no longer inside the Tardis but a large darkened room.

And thirdly it was crimson. The entire room was bathed in deep red.

_I'm dead._ Rose thought in shock. She glanced back at the Doctor, as her head began to throb madly. _And somehow the Doctor's dead too._

This final thought, was more disturbing to her. _For how would the world survive without its Doctor, her Doctor?_

The throbbing increased.

Rose's eyes rolled back.

The red light was struggling to cut through her eyes.

Rose only squeezed tighter. She couldn't face that reality not yet.

"Rose?" A voice beckoned her.

"No." _she didn't want to go back there. She wanted to be alive, safe with the Doctor._

"Rose, wake up."

_That voice, so familiar._

"Rose."

"Doctor?"

Rose's eyes snapped open.

The Doctor beamed down at her. "Hello."

"Are you…?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed as he gazed at her seriously. "Rose, what's wrong?"

"Are we dead?"

The Doctor's fair face lit up, his lips curved up and he burst out laughing.

Rose was unfazed. "What?"

Gradually he calmed down and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair.

"No. Rose we're not dead."

"Not yet." Said another voice.

But this one was deeper, huskier. Unfamiliar.

Rose and the Doctor spun round.

A single figure, cloaked in red was watching them from a distance.

She had dark skin and barely visible black pupils.

"Welcome," She mused.

"Who are you?" Rose inquired. She new the face.

She'd seen them on the console screen inside the Tardis.

"I might ask you the same question."

The woman replied and the Doctor smiled coyly.

"Oh yes, except there would be no point in that, now would there?" he raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You know who we are, because you sent us here."

"We warned you to…"

"To what? To stay away. Oh yes and then you conveniently crash my ship here and not to mention it's gone." There was a hint of anger in the Doctor's otherwise charismatic tone.

"We do not know what has become of your ship, but we know what will become of you if you stay."

Rose cringed, "Which is?"

"Death. Rose Tyler." The Woman's beady eyes bore into her own.

She gestured to the large room around her.

Rose found herself already beginning to adjust to the dim redness around her.

A large white screen took up the entire wall before them and three aisles of chairs were stationed along the floor leading back up to a small empty window.

Gazing in astonishment, Rose realized shed been in a room like this many times.

A cinema.

"This is the Ruby Theatre," the strange woman was saying. "And it will be your final resting place."


End file.
